Microsoft to release Office 2016 later this year

Microsoft has reportedly announced that its next major version of Office, aptly named Office 2016, will be released later this year.

Microsoft has reportedly announced that its next major version of Office, aptly named Office 2016, will be released later this year.

Julia White, Microsoft's Office general manager said that the tech giant's new suite will offer the same "comprehensive Office experience" that users are familiar with and will be best suited for a PC with keyboard and mouse, reported The Verge.

The report said that the upcoming Office version will include a darker theme and a Clippy-like helper.

Although Microsoft is making various other UI tweaks and feature additions, Office 2016 is believed to look and feel very similar to Office 2013. Major changes to the new version would include touch-optimization for Windows 10, a separate suite of apps designed primarily for tablets and phones.

Microsoft's next operating system will have finger-friendly versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook .

The company is planning to preview Office for Windows 10 in the coming weeks.